The Walk Begins

Day 1 – Sunday 10 May 2009 - Milngavie to Drymen - 12 miles

Breakfast was a civilised affair: tables were denoted by the guests' national flag, so it was clear that we were accompanied by Germans and Scots – two young German men, names unknown, and Jim & Moira from Elgin who were doing the WHW for the third time. I can recommend the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. The very efficient Morag, alerted by the fact that our baggage carrier had not dropped off luggage labels the day before, had already rung them to discover that they had got their dates wrong, and sorted it all out for us without asking – excellent service!

Under sunny skies (at last – Morag told us that they had had two weeks of abysmally wet, cold and windy weather) we set off back to the town centre of Milngavie. The Pennine Way, arguably the UK's most famous long distance path, starts in lonely fashion at an anonymous signpost by an unimpressive village farm. The West Highland Way, arguably the UK's most popular LDP, is blessed with a granite monument and other paraphernalia possessing a certain razzamatazz. As we arrived various parties were having their photographs taken, with lots of hugs, kisses and general goodbyes.

The route follows a disused railway line and soon leaves the houses, passing through parkland before entering Mugdock Wood, where the bluebells were putting on a fine display, and then passing Craigallian Loch. As we approached Dumgoyne Hill the sunshine gave way to cloud and then a heavy shower: thinking it wouldn't last we carried on until we realised our mistake and put on waterproofs. Eventually the rain stopped and the sunshine returned: we met three guys – from Glasgow, Leeds and Berkshire - and had a chat with the Leeds man about Byrnes's Wine Merchants in Clitheroe, which he visits often.

Resisting the temptation to visit the Glengoyne Distillery we arrived at the Beech Tree Inn at 12.00 - half an hour before they were allowed to serve alcohol. But they have a sensible policy of allowing walkers to eat their own food, providing they at least buy a drink. Wet clothes were spread on the picnic tables to dry out in the strong sunshine. The route, once again following a disused railway line, pressed on north through pleasant countryside, where Whitethroats were singing in the gorse and cuckoos were adding a touch of Spring to the air.

All the time we were encountering other WHW walkers – some travelling light, others back-packing fully loaded, with everything but the kitchen sink. A longish section on a quiet country road followed, starting with the picturesque Gartness Bridge and cottages, before a short section through fields took us to our overnight halt of Drymen, a small village on the east side of the southern tip of Loch Lomond. We arrived by 3.00 and I was a bit worried that we might not have given ourselves enough daily mileage.

Next to our B&B – Hillview, on the Square – is reputedly the oldest registered pub in Scotland, The Clachan (1734), so we tested the local lager before reporting. The Clachan was a busy affair in the evening, with plenty of WHW walkers of course, including Jim & Moira, our breakfast companions. So Day 1 ended with 12 miles on the clock. Tomorrow would take us 14 miles, ending half way along Loch Lomond – and the weather forecast looked good.

Photos: 1. The Start of the West Highland Way, Milngavie; 2. Bluebells in Mugdock Wood; 3. Dumgoyne Hill; 4. Glengoyne Distillery; 5. Hillview and The Clachan, Drymen.